Memorial Day Weekend...milkshake style

We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. I am so afraid this post won't do it justice. We savored every last drop of this weekend like the last of a Chick-Fil-A cookies 'n cream milkshake.  It was straw slurpin' good, baby. The Hubs had Sunday through Tuesday off, and we lived hard! 

Disney Pics and Some Ice Cream
Sunday Aunt Corndog and Uncle J met up with us at Grandad and G-Mama's house to share some Disney World pictures and videos.  The Hubs and I started dreaming of a family trip to Disney and decided we'd better start saving now for all the turkey legs he wants and all the Mickey Mouse shaped cotton candy I want. After the Disney recap we went downtown for ice cream and had a fun day in the park.

The Beach
On Memorial Day we hit up the beach for Newbie's first official Beach Day.  It was blazing hot outside, but the wind was blowing like crazy, so we ended up working in a Plan B after our first beach visit.  Our first stop was at a remote beach we love, but the wind was whipping sand in Newbie's eyes, so we hopped in the car and headed 12 miles down the beach to a little town and enjoyed their boardwalk for a while before hitting the beach again where Newbie loved playing in the sand.  The water was too cold for anything but a quick toe dip, but he adored playing in the sand and waving to people from his wagon as we made our way down the boardwalk. 

The Best Park Ever Round 1
Later that evening after Newbie and his mama took an afternoon nap, we met up with some good friends of ours for a picnic dinner at our favorite park.  I made up some homemade sloppy joes and beans and we had a delicious meal in the shade.  Newbie enjoyed his first watermelon rind and showed his daddy the ropes on the playground.  We love this park because there are four HUGE playgrounds in varying sizes for littles and there are tons of lakes and boardwalk docks to explore.  We make it a point to get out to this park as a family as much as we can because it is so darling and full of family fun opportunities.  We are all about the family fun.  There are nature trails all over the place and it is the perfect picnic spot.  And that's just the outside of the park.  We waited until Tuesday to hit the inside.

The Best Park Ever Round II
We hesitated to commit to another day in the sun on Tuesday, but when the temp hit 80, we were lathering on the sunscreen and out the door in a flash.  It was time to take the Hubs and Newbie on their maiden voyage to the best kept secret of the best park ever.  This park is a fabulous place for picnics and walks for most of the year, but in the summer, in the summer it has the best secret: Past the playgrounds and the nature trails is a gated entrance where you pay a steal-of-a-deal four bucks per adult to get into the beach and splash pad sprinkler park.

I have taken all the littles I nannied for to this beach since the park opened a few years ago, and the summer camp I worked at always hit up the beach for at least one field trip a summer.  It. is. the. best.  There is a TON of sand and a fantastic lake where kiddos can wade in to their hearts' content.  The best part?  On a good day, if you look really close, you can find minnows and even bigger fish in the water.  SO fun.  The worst part?  No lifeguard.  Major downside, but when you're a helicopter beach parent like myself, its no biggie because you're all up in the littles' biz splashing in the water and playing in the sand with them anyway. 

I was giddy with excitement when the Hubs and Newbie walked through the gates because I knew the Hubs would love it and finally see the summer secret I have talked about since I discovered the place for the first time myself.  Oh, the fun!  The Hubs kept saying how awesome it was and how surprised he was that we'd never been there together.  I reminded him that it was probably because we didn't have a kiddo old enough to enjoy it with us until this summer.  And boy, did we ever enjoy it together! We hit the splash pad first where Newbie went berserk running through the sprinklers and splashing in the water.  He was absolutely fearless!  There is literally water spraying from every direction on the splash pad, and that boy was LOVING it. 

After the splash pad, we headed a stone's throw away to the beach.  Newbie had a blast wading in the warm, shallow water and building a sandcastle with his daddy.  HELLO, SUMMER!

And because I simply can't resist, here are a couple videos.  The first one is one I took while Newbie and the Hubs explored the splash pad.  Pay close attention at the end...I was running under a bucket of water that tipped and poured all over me with a force that whooshed my sunglasses right off.  Impeccable timing. It might be worthy of an instant replay.  =) The second is of Newbie and the Hubs checking out the lake at the beach.  *Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause or mute the music so you can hear the fun!





We had such a wonderful weekend together.  I hope you all had a blessed weekend as well and are working your way through a great week! 

Happy Wednesday, friends!

30 Year Throwback

30 years (plus two days) ago ...

My parents tied the knot...

And started their happily ever after...

...and I am so glad they did. 

My parents' marriage is such a treasure to me.  They love each other so well, and I am so grateful to have such an incredible example of what God intends for a marriage to look like.  My dad leads with compassion and grace and my mom follows his lead with a gentleness and love that is too pure and sweet for words.  They do such a fabulous job of putting Christ first in their lives and loving one another, their family, and others with an outpouring of that first love. They are also a barrel of laughs and know how to have a great time together.  =) That's one of the reasons we spend so much time hanging out at G-Mama and Grandad's house- its always a party when we're over there! Their marriage and home is so full of love and joy, and my little family is so blessed by the legacy they began 30 years ago.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful example to follow as a young wife and mother, and it makes my heart so happy to know that Newbie gets in on the fun and joy of seeing a marriage so founded in God's love, grace and guidance. 

30 years ago a blessing for generations began, and this week we are thanking God for his goodness in orchestrating the perfect match!

Happy 30th Anniversary, Mom and Daddy! 

We love you so much!

xoxo

Beachin' It

Monday is a beach day.

87 degrees on a day off = a hands-down beach day in our book.

It will be Newbie's first OFFICIAL beach day because it will be the first time we attempt the full tilt sunscreen, beach blanket, and cooler adventure with a "let's see how long we can swing this" attitude.  That's right:  We're rockin' out a beach day with a one year old and choosing to believe that if we pursue it in the name of family memories and kick-off-the-summer-fun, it won't be a massive FAIL.

Newbie's been out to the lake before, but never the big lake. 

Never the sand. 

Never the real deal "pack yourself a lunch and soak yourself in sunscreen and splash along the shore for hours and hours" beach day.

Wish us luck.

And don't worry.  We're bringing hats.  And shade.  And sunscreen.  And possibly even a portable fan I found at Hobby Lobby.  (The Hob Lob has always been good to me in the random summer accessory department.)

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Have a happy Memorial Day, and a huge thank you to all the men and women, friends, and family who have served and continue to serve in the US armed forces.  We are so blessed by the freedom you have fought to give us.

A Toothy Little Grin

Lately we've been wading knee deep in the teething trenches, and let me tell you something: it ain't for the faint of heart.

Whining all day.

Whining all night.

The eyes and nose crunch where Newbie cranks everything together in one twisted facial scrunch that just screams "GET THESE TEETH OUTTA HERE!" (See above photograph.)

We've seen it all. 

To further express his agony, Newbie employs the use of his new tantrum trick where he bends over and plants his head on the ground forming a little arch with his teensy body, then he really lays on the whining.  For the past two weeks he's done this when I tell him no or when he doesn't get his way with something. It was relatively funny because it was the first time he's ever outright protested anything, and it gave the Hubs and I a good chuckle as we explained why its not OK to play with the laptop power cord.  But when he's throwing a fit like that out of sheer frustration because his little mouth hurts so bad, it just breaks my heart. 

So we snuggle.

And we cuddle.

And we read some books.

But bless his heart, sometimes there just isn't anything that gets his mind off of how crummy he feels.

It makes one wonder if this whole teeth-growing thing is altogether worth the trouble. 

Then, out of nowhere, out pop two pearly whites. 

Then another two. 

And all of the sudden a gummy little smile has turned into a toothy little grin, and you realize the pearls are worth the price.

Because there's nothin' like a tiny toothy smile on a one year old.

...even if it is a little bit of a cranky smile. =)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, friends!

The day I legitimately could not do laundry and other glorious things

Don't you love when you run out of laundry detergent and you can literally say that you CAN'T POSSIBLY do the laundry?

And doesn't it just get better when you have to put off grocery shopping one more day and therefore have to skip out on laundry AGAIN?

It. is. awesome.

And it is my reality.  Yesterday and today.  I legitimately can't do laundry, and I'm loving it.

Yesterday Newbie and I called up his grandma and asked her to hit up the gardens with us.  Newbie loved hanging out in the sun and had a ball playing with the boats while running barefoot and fancy free.   We had a really fun afternoon together, and Newbie took a super-awesome nap when we got home.  Win win!

Remember when I mentioned Newbie and I went over to G-Mama and Grandad's last Friday? 

(Some ingenius person decided to pull a Survivorman and eat himself a dandelion to ward off pre-dinner hunger pangs.  Like, pluck it from the yard, stick it in his mouth, chew, and swallow.  Oh yes, that happened.  This, my friends, is just one of the many reasons why my dad is so cool.)

We're going for round two tonight, but we're bringing the Hubs along for some Texas style fajitas- YEEHAW!

In other news, Aunt Corndog and Uncle J are having a fabulous time at Disney World, minus a car that wouldn't start yesterday.  (Boo!)

(I've never been able to figure out how she swiped both the pretty and the skinny from the family gene pool, but I'm here to tell you, it ain't fair, baby.)

It's a good thing Aunt Corndog has this fond memory of Newbie hugging her goodbye to think back on as the tow truck hauled their car away last night.

He's nothing if not making endearing memories before bedtime.

Tonight the Hubs and I are getting caught up on The Biggest Loser finale.  Thank you, hulu.com. DON'T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!  We are SO excited to see who wins and what all of our faves looked like at the finale.  I tell you what, those sisters had me sobbing like a baby the last three episodes.  The Hubs just looks over and laughs at me.  I try not to hold his emotional constipation against him.

Well, I'm off to not do some laundry.  Which means I'm probably in line for some seriously good rounds of "dump out all these toys and then dump them again" or "lets see what happens when we flush the toilet four times in a row".  Newbie knows how to have a good time, folks! 

Y'all have a happy Wednesday!